John p



'(No Model.)

, J. P. BECKER. CURTAIN OR FLEXIBLE CYLINDER FOR DESKS.

No. 451,437.. Patented Apr. 28,1891.

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@ g YW UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

JOHN P. BECKER, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, ASSIGNOR TO FLETCHER IV. DICKERMAN, OF SAME PLACE.

CURTAIN OR FLEXIBLE CYLINDER FOR D ESKS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 451,437, dated April 28, 1891. Application filed February l3,I 1890- Serial No. 340,264. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, JOHN P. REoKEE, a citizen of the United States, residing at Chicago, in the county of Cook and State of Illinois, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Curtains or Flexible Cylinders for Desks, of which the following is a specification.

The object of my invention is to make a curtain or flexible cylinder for desks or other furniture having the peculiar characteristics presently mentioned; and the invention consists in the features and combinations hereinafter described and claimed.

In the drawings, Figure 1 is a broken sectional perspective view of two of the slats used in forming a curtain or flexible cylinder for desks, and Fig. 2 a broken sectional perspective view of one of the slats.

A is the slat, B the groove of the slat, C the tongue of the slat, and D the canvas on the under or inner side connecting the slats tomit a free flexibility.

gether.

My improved curtain or flexible cylinder consists of slats fitted together by means of grooves and tongues in such a way as to per- This is accomplished by making the groove in each slat straight on one of its sides, but at an angle to the flat surface'of the slat and rounded on its other side. The tongue of the next adjacent slat is made of a shape corresponding to the groovethat is to say, straight at an angle on one side and rounded on its other side. I prefer to make the groove so that its curved side is an arc of a circle drawn from the point a as its center. This rounding of the tongue and groove on one side enables the free turning or elasticity, so that the curtain may be turned up or out as well as down or in. The tongued edge of the slat may be provided with a flange or shoulder a, which, coming in contact with the corresponding part of the grooved edge of the slat, furnishes a bearing on which the slats may turn, and avoids the friction or binding which often interferes with the opening and closing of curtain-desks. The slats, being thus secured together by means of tongues and grooves, support each other, so as to make a very strong curtain, and the overlapping furnishes protection against dust and petty burglary.

It will be observed that, owing to the construction of the interlocking edges, as the slats turn upon the flange or shoulder as a bearing, the curved edge of the tongue remains in contact with the curved side of the *curve, thereby affording two constant points of contact and providing a very tight joint.

I clain1 1. A curtain for desks, comprising a series of tongues and grooves, the groove of one slat being rounded on one side and straight on the other side at an angle to the bottom of the slat, and the tongue of the adjacent slat being correspondingly shaped, substantially as described.

2. A curtain for desks, comprising a series of slats flexibly fitted and secured together by means of tongues and grooves, each tongued slat having a shoulder, against which the adjacent edge of the next grooved slat rests, substantially as described.

3. In a curtain fordesks, slats having grooves the curved sides of which are in the form of an arc of a circle drawn from a point in the Witnesses:

EPHRAIM BANNING,

SUsIE CROWLEY.

of slats fitted and secured together by means straight side of the groove as a center, sub-- 

